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Laurentios Merricon
Laurentios Merricon was a Bicanal politician who led the state to independence from the Dorian Empire, and subsequently was elected as its first prime minister. Early life Laurentios was born into a somewhat affluent Bicanal family that were stonecutters by trade. However, even as a child Laurentios was very well-spoken, and his parents hoped to be able to afford a university education for him and potentially see their son become a diplomat. In 415, a sufficient sum had been saved to send Laurentios to the Ghaeron Academy in Arphisport, where he studied writing and oration. After attending for a year, Laurentios was forced to drop out due to lack of funds, although he stayed in Arphisport and took up a job working at a local inn. Activism and revolution After first learning the details of the collapse of the Dorian Empire at the Ghaeron Academy, Laurentios was very intrigued by the events, and followed them closely. In 421, Laurentios attended a meeting of Bicanal nationalists who sought to break free from Dorian control, and found himself agreeing with the message. He grew more and more involved with the movement, starting to host meetings at the inn where he worked in 424 and assuming a leadership position in the group in 426. In the autumn of 427, Laurentios' movement had amassed enough personnel and armaments to put their revolution in motion, and so war broke out in Arphisport and, shortly after, other cities where the peasants were inspired to rise up. Although Laurentios saw little battle himself, he sought to inspire the populace wherever possible, and made a number of public denunciations of Dorian king Edric IV and governor Aberforth Canting. Laurentios also proved to be adept at controlling trade and supply lines, thus allowing the Bicanal revolutionaries to outmaneuver and outlast the Dorians. Finally, in 433, Aberforth Canting died, and Bicana was given independence in the Treaty of Nebiro. Political career In Rasaleth 433, the first Bicanal election was held, and Laurentios won handily. He sought to rebuild the Bicanal trade economy, which was damaged by the break with Dorio; the recovery was slow, but some progress was made. Although Laurentios only had a moderate income, he still sought to provide for his family where possible. In 443, Laurentios decided not to run for reelection, and retired to the southern coast to rejoin his family. Upon the formation of the Golden Quintet, Laurentios publicly endorsed the union, saying it was a great thing for both the economy and foreign relations of Bicana. He stayed with his family until his death of tuberculosis in 455. Personal life Laurentios waited to get married until Bicana was independent, and so after a lengthy time of courtship, he wedded Agathe Deniartos in 434. They had two daughters, Filippa and Pelagia, and Laurentios sought to give them a good education, so he saved much of his income from his prime ministership to ensure they could afford full university educations. Category:Bicanals Category:Elected Officials Category:Government Heads